The Fatal Flaw
by awkwardfox
Summary: Lucy finds herself mixed up in a world of deception, ancient rituals, and evil, struggling to choose between doing what is morally right and saving her friends from a terrible fate.
Hi there! Thanks for taking the time to read this. _The Fatal Flaw_ is fanfiction based on Donna Tartt's _The Secret History._

I would really appreciate any comments/feedback that you might have.

Happy reading!

 _Everyone at Hampden has heard of the six mysterious students studying under distinguished classics professor, Julian Morrow. The group's strange way of dressing and aloof behavior seems out of place on the college campus and, out of curiosity, Lucy, a freshman, begins to closely watch them. Soon, Lucy finds herself mixed up in a world of deception, ancient rituals, and evil, struggling to choose between doing what is morally right and saving her friends from a terrible fate._

 **Prologue**

The sound of rain tapping on the window of my dorm room woke me from a restless sleep. I couldn't help but jump as thunder crashed and I fought the urge to throw the blankets over my head and hide, as I used to when I was little and afraid of something. Instead, I remained immobile in my bed, staring fixedly at the dark ceiling as the storm raged outside.

I knew the snow would be melting now, knew it deep down in my bones. With that knowledge also came the fact that, with the snow gone, Bunny's body would be found very soon. Maybe in the morning if the search parties were feeling particularly hopeful. I could hardly stand the thought of his body lying beneath layers of snow, just waiting to be found.

With a shudder, I curled up into a tighter ball on my twin-sized bed, willing the disturbing images to go away.

 _How can they be so damn nonchalant about this?_ I thought angrily to myself.

Almost naturally, my mind went first to Henry, standing dangerously close to the ravine with Bunny close by him.

"What are you doing up here?" Bunny had asked us, still unsuspecting, even after everything that had happened.

"Why, looking for new ferns," Henry had answered. His face has been calm, angelic, even as he pushed Bunny over the edge of the ravine. None of them said a word as they watched Bunny struggle to regain his footing, not even a gasp as he finally tumbled over.

And I didn't do a thing to stop them.

I bit my lip as I recalled the way I had doubled over after it happened, dry heaving for all I was worth. Camilla had patted me reassuringly on the back, but her touch was distracted; she might as well have been petting a friendly, stray dog.

"Lucy," Henry had said, after they had made sure that Bunny was, in fact, dead. "I'm assuming you didn't drive here."

"I walked," I replied hoarsely.

"You'll come back with us. It'll be cramped, but we need to go over a few things."

I nodded mutely in response to this and trailed after the five of them as they started the hike back to where Henry had parked the car. Camilla and Charles talked quietly to each other while Francis muttered angrily to Henry near the front of the group. Richard, always the quiet one, remained silent; however, he didn't look too disturbed by the day's events, rather, he seemed to be contemplating something else entirely

When we finally reached the car, Henry had instructed me to sit on Francis's lap, which, in any other circumstances would have excited me, but at the moment, my nerves were too fried to give it much thought.

As my thoughts drifted back to my current surroundings, my sparsely furnished dorm room, I couldn't help but linger on the cool detachment of my friends with a growing sense of dread in my stomach.

It seemed as if I were the odd one out, feeling guilty about Bunny's death. Would they sense this weakness in me, sniffing it out like a pack of hungry wolves? Would they decide that my silence couldn't be guaranteed and find a way to dispose of me, as they had with Bunny?

I almost cried at the thought. _Of course they wouldn't do that, stupid, you've proved your loyalty!_

Yet, somehow, this didn't comfort me at all.


End file.
